Giant Eagle is increasing its popular fuel rewards program for a limited time beginning Thursday.
The Pittsburgh-based grocer will be offering 20-cent “fuelperks” on nearly all items in the store through May 29.
“We felt this was a great time to launch this promotion — to be able to earn 20-cent rewards while you are doing your shopping for celebrations and be able to redeem a whole lot of free fuel by the time you hit the road for Memorial Day weekend,” Rob Borella, senior director of corporate communications for Giant Eagle, said in a telephone interview.
Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan said company officials believe the 20-cent perk has never been offered storewide in the Akron-area, though there have been limited promotions for 20-cent fuelperks and other denominations during other periods. For instance, during the holidays, 20-cent fuelperks were offered with the purchases of retailer gift cards.
The extra bonus will be available chainwide at the company’s 229 supermarkets and 188 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, northern West Virginia and Maryland. In the Akron-Canton area, including Summit, Stark, Portage and Medina counties, the company has 30 stores and none in Wayne.
The bonus move comes two weeks after the grocer launched the special promotion in three of its smaller markets for the whole month of May — in Toledo, Erie, Pa. and the Johnstown-Indiana-Altoona market in western Pennsylvania.
When asked why the rewards didn’t start earlier in Akron and other locations, or whether the grocer would extend the perks for two more weeks, Borella said a lot more goes into gearing up for offering rewards in larger markets, such as Akron and chainwide. The promotion will include a full media campaign, including broadcast and online ads and store signage, he said. The promotion will end chainwide on May 29, Borella said.
Fuelperks can be earned on such items as grocery items, gift cards, no-contract phones and prepaid wireless cards, nonstate and nonfederally funded pharmacy prescriptions and dry cleaning services.
Borella said the latest promotion builds on Giant Eagle’s other savings opportunities, including a price reduction of 3,000 items it started in March and seasonal low prices.
Giant Eagle did end a different reward program earlier this year. The “foodperks” program, which gave a 1 percent discount on grocery purchases for every 10 gallons of GetGo fuel, ended in February. Foodperks rewards can be used through the end of this month. Borella said the foodperks program was discontinued after customers said they wanted “simple, easy ways to save on groceries and earn fuel.”
The grocer also in February introduced another discount at its GetGo locations — an automatic 3-cents-per-gallon discount on fuel pumped without redeeming “fuelperks.”
The redemption of “fuelperks” rewards, including the 20-cent rewards, are good for 60 days after the end of the month in which you earn them.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisher and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.